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Rita Pappenfus-Neenan
RITA PAPPENFUS-NEENAN
Center Point
Rita (Spaight) Pappenfus-Neenan, born
in Cedar Rapids, 91 years ago on Nov. 29, 1922, died Friday, July 11, 2014, at
the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House in
Hiawatha.
She was preceded in death by her parents and by her first husband.
A funeral service is being planned at Sacred Heart Church in Walker. Burial will take place in California.
Rita is survived by her husband, Tom Neenan of Center Point; three children, James (Pam) Pappenfus of Sheridan, Mont., John (Elaine) Pappenfus of Lake Elsinore, Calif., and Karen (Alan) Wood Battcheller of Oak Hill, Va.; and five stepchildren, Nancy Neenan of St. Paul, Minn., Tom Neenan Jr. of Center Point, Pamela Rosmann of Freeport, Ill., Kate Waitek of Osage and Molly Neenan of Center Point, all dearly loved as her own children with equal love being
returned.
She leaves a sister, Bernadine (Edward) Walter of Cedar Rapids; a half sister, Rose (Gary) Downs of Swisher; and a half brother, Tom (Lynn) Spaight of Asheville, N.C.
Rita was united in marriage to Ernest Pappenfus in 1945. Ernie was employed at Collins Radio, where Rita also worked. The family moved to California after their children were born in Iowa. Ernie died there in 1999.
She was remarried in 2009 to Tom Neenan in his home in Center Point. She often said he was her "first true love" during her late teens. Rita owned a home in Murrieta, Calif., but they decided to spend half of each year of their marriage in Iowa (spring through fall) and the other half in California, although at least one year it as was much as eight months in
Iowa as she loved being in Iowa.
In California, she was very active in the Assistance League, designed to help needy children by acquiring and selling clothing and other items. She was president of the chapter in West Covina and founded another chapter in Temecula. She was honored by the mayor of Temecula who declared a Rita Pappenfus Day with a luncheon attended by over 100 members and friends. She served on the national board of the organization for several years.
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